Note: I am very new to Linux and Slackware, so I may ask some silly questions.

Although installing Slackware wasn't that hard I encountered a problem with serial port support later on.

I installed Slackware 10.2 in a very light version on my Pentium II PC. My sound card (a C-Media CM8738 based card) and my network card work perfectly well (mpg321 plays mp3's and Links shows up the internet), but I can't get LIRC installed. The LIRC documentation says this is a common problem, and that a solution for this problem is to compile a new kernel with serial port support as a module (instead of directly compiling it into the kernel).

I compiled a few kernels but none of them seems to work for my soundcard, although LIRC installs well on the new kernels. On some of them I had internet, on some of them not.

I compiled some kernels with Sound Card support for the CM8738, but that didn't work. Then I heard somewhere that I should try to compile a kernel WITHOUT sound support and let ALSA do the job, but ALSA also wouldn't detect my card.

As I said, I am a newbie and I have the feeling I'm not that good at compiling my own kernel. As it consumes a lot of time, I get a bit tired of compiling a not working kernel all the time.

Are there any out-of-the-box kernels with serial port as a module (if there are, how do I install these?), or do you people know why my kernels don't work with sound support, so that I can compile a kernel succesfully?

Thanks in advance,

Maarten

Welcome to LQ. Your questions arn't silly at all, you seem to have the right idea, just missing a few needed details.

Unfortunately you will need to learn to compile your kernel if you are to get the most out of Linux. I will try to address some of the issue you talked about here but I would suggest reading this post by Alien Bob for a really simple yet thorough guide.

As far as sound support goes, you will need to enable alsa in your kernel. the alsa-driver slackware package is specific to the kernel version you are running and will not work if you upgrade kernels. In order for it to work for me, I had to enable Sound Support, alsa, and my sound card under the alsa menu all as modules. Then you will need to run 'alsaconf' and 'alsamixer' to configure alsa with the new kernel driver.


There usually isn't much to this one, just make sure you have the right network card enabled as a module under device drivers so 'netconfig' can load it properly.


In general, the best advice given to me was don't take anything out from the kernel config until you know what you are doing. All you should be doing at this point is adding in what you know you will need.

Just post back if you need any additional help with this.

regards,
...drkstr

I tried to install a new kernel but it went wrong very badly this time... I compiled a new 2.4.31 kernel (source was already installed with slackware) but I guess that because I didn't use the EXTRAVERSION in the Makefile my new kernel messed up with the old kernel, which was a 2.4.31 too (guess I'm right about this one?).

My souncard AND my network card don't work in both kernels now.

Also I didn't see any option in the kernel compile to compile ALSA with it, maybe because it's a legacy kernel?

Anyway, I guess I'm gonna reinstall Slackware again and then try the 2.6... kernel... Hopefully that kernel does have ALSA support (Yes, I will use the 2.6 kernel compile instructions instead of the instructions for 2.4).

This shouldn't be nesisary. If you installed the kernel source, then the source in the /usr/src directory is the same one that is installed in your system. You can configure it however many times you want, but if you want to revert back to your old configuration, you will need to back up your /boot/vmlinuz first.

Hardware is supported much better in the 2.6 kernel. I would recomend using it instead. I think the 2.4 kernel still support alsa, but not very well.

Keep at it. It took me a few times before I finally got it right. Now it's as easy as brushing my teeth. Before you configure the kernel with 'make menuconfig' make sure you do a 'lspci' to view your hardware information. Use this info to select the right modules in your kernel, then compile it with Just make sure you back up your original kernel first because this will automatically install the new one.

let me know if you need any more help.
...drkstr

The Slackware kernels do not come with ALSA (nor OSS) modules enabled. Instead, separate alsa packages are installed. What happened when you re-built your 2.4.31 kernel (indeed without giving the EXTRAVERSION a value) your "make modules_install" replaced the existing /lib/modules/2.4.31 directory tree with that of your kernel build... removing the alsa driver modules as well.
If you re-install the alsa-driver package (like this one on a mirror: http://slackware.mirrors.tds.net/pub....31-i486-1.tgz) you will at least have your sound back. Re-install using the command
What happened to the kernel module for your network card is probably you forgot to enable it in your "make menuconfig" step.
Word of advice for the novice: use a kernel configuration file that was used to generate the Slackware kernel a copy of which is stored in /boot: for instance (check the exact file name on your machine) run
Then "cd /usr/src/linux" or wherever you have your kernel source and run a "make menuconfig". The defaults to all configurable options will now be the Slackware defaults, and you can start disabling whatever you don't need, and enabling stuff where Slackware defaults are too conservative. Read my wiki article on kernel compiling if you are interested - especially when you want to give 2.6 a try: http://www.slackware.com/~alien/doku...kernelbuilding

Eric

Good advice Mr. Bob. I wish I had read some of your posts when I started playing around with my kernel for the first time.


I have always just used the kernel support for alsa since I have had better luck with it. I have always used the 2.6 kernel ..except for the brief period when I was learning what a kernel was Is alsa supported in the 2.4 kernel at all? I need to get this strait so I don't give people bum advice.

thanks!
...drkstr

Thank you drkstr (noticed you had tried to contact me on IRC)

Indeed, ALSA was added to the kernel after 2.4 (I think somewhere in 2.5, but I never followed 2.5 development). The 2.4 kernel only has OSS.

Eric

So it was you! That was my first time on IRC. I clicked on it by accident in my Seamonkey browser and decided to check it out. I should get on it more often, you never know who you might bump into.

...drkstr

I reinstalled Slackware 10.2 (without a kernel source). After the fresh install everything went fine again...

Then I followed the kernel compile instruction by Alien Bob on his Wiki. I downloaded kernel 2.6.16.18 just like Alien Bob did in his manual (from the link in the Manual), and downloaded Pat's config file (Pat's file was for kernel version 2.6.16.20, I hope that doesn't matter very much?).

I followed all the instructions, exept that I used menuconfig instead of xconfig, because I don't have the X environment installed. In menuconfig I added ALSA support and changed the CPU setting from 486 to Pentium II (which is the machine I use).

"make bzImage modules" went fine I guess, but "make modules_install" caused an error:

Can you tell me what I did wrong? And how do I compile another kernel now? I guess that will be different because I partly compiled this kernel...

I wouldn't use a config file for a diffrent kernel version. It looks like it may have some extra stuff that isn't in the kernel you ran your 'make menuconfig' on. I would get the 2.6.16.20 kernel from kernel.org and start over.

It doesn't really matter as long as the kernel wasn't installed (which it doesn't look like it was). It may have installed some of the modules though, so if you want to compile the 2.6.16.20 kernel you might want to 'rm -rf /lib/modules/2.6.16.18' to get rid of them.

regards
...drkstr

Thanks for the fast reply! I think I'm gonna try 2.6.16.20 then. I already am reinstalling Slackware (because I didn't know what to do and I am pretty fast at it now ). Is there a 2.6 kernel included in the Slack installation CD? I used to choose "skip" when the installation asked me what kernel to install (it installs a default kernel then) but I can try install another kernel from the beginning...

When I compiled a 2.4 kernel I used to give the commands "make dep" and "make clean", but I guess that isn't necessary for 2.6 kernels? Also, I don't have to uncomment the INSTALLPATH=/boot line in the 2.6 kernel Makefile? (I had to in 2.4 kernels)

- patrick has 2.6.16.20 in testing... you can find the binary package here... but my suggestion would be to compile yourself a stripped-down version, starting with patrick's config as a base...

(sorry if that is redundant - i haven't read the thread yet...)

- the 2.6 kernel on the slackware 10.2 cd is an old version, of course...

- AFAIK "make dep" isn't needed for 2.6...

- you don't need to edit the makefile on 2.4, and i assume on 2.6 either... what was the reason why you had to do that??

just my ...

I meant an out-of-the-box kernel actually which is installed by installing slackware, but thanks anyway! But I think I'm gonna use there the same kernel as I always do. I hope I'm gonna get through with this kernel...

Just to make sure... I can use this ( http://alien.slackbook.org/dokuwiki/...kernelbuilding ) manual for an 2.6.16.20 kernel?

I skip this section:

because I don't have the X environment installed, that isn't a problem??
And I use menuconfig instead of xconfig, that isn't a problem too?

Hope it works now,

Thanks for all the help given so far

yeah, you should be fine if you skip any X stuff (although i honestly havent read that howto)... i also prefer to compile without X and using menuconfig... here's another howto you might like:

http://www.digitalhermit.com/linux/K...ild-HOWTO.html

Still not succeeding...

I think I didn't make a mistake when compiling this time: I downloaded the 2.6.16.20 kernel source package, installed it, downloaded the generic config file from Pat, installed it, ran "oldconfig" ran "menuconfig" (added support for my soundcard and changed CPU from 486 to Pentium II), ran "make clean", ran "make bzImage" and ran "make modules".

When running "make modules_install" I got the same error as before:

I think I might know what my problem is. I think I need to install some packages that are necessary for compiling a 2.6 kernel. I run a light version of slackware with only these packages installed

When compiling I often get the error

I also remember linux outputting that I hadn't perl installed (which I indeed haven't).

after running "make bzImage" I got this error:

Do I need to install some more packages before compiling a 2.6 kernel? If so, which?

Thanks in advance